Transcript SCALING UP CAPACITY BUILDING WITH TECHNOLOGY: THE

SCALING UP CAPACITY BUILDING
WITH TECHNOLOGY: THE
EXPERIENCE OF MDP
BY
George Matovu
Regional Director (MDP)
Paper presented at the Capacity Building Workshop
for Urban Local Authorities in Ethiopia
October 2 –3, 2003
Introduction
• African local authorities are characterized by
weak human and institutional capacities.
• High costs of travel to attend capacity building
programmes carried out in other countries /
distant municipalities
• Technology based capacity building initiatives
bring training nearer to where it is needed most.
The use of technology in capacity building
• There has been a boom in information and
communication technology since the 1990s
• There exists a huge gap in access to technology
between the developed and developing
countries
• The emergency of new technology is creating
opportunities for low cost access to information
• African countries should take advantage of the
low cost technologies
MDP’s experiences with technology in
capacity building
• Videoconferencing
• The Digital Radio
• Web-based training
1. Videoconferencing
• An innovative and cost effective strategy for
capacity building which is used by the MDP
in its capacity building programmes
Advantage of videoconferencing
• Cuts across national and continental
boundaries
• Cost effective as people do not travel long
distances
• Municipal managers and other staff do not
leave their stations for consecutive days
• Conducive and relaxed atmosphere for
participants to learn from one another, create
networks and foster municipal cooperation
Countries participating in videoconference
programmes
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Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Malawi
Rwanda
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Countries Participating in MDP Capacity Building
Activities through Videoconferencing
WASHINGTON D.C
ETHIOPIA
GHANA
UGANDA
KENYA
RWANDA
TANZANIA
MALAWI
ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE
SWAZILLAND
Capacity Building Courses delivered
through videoconferencing
• The Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and
Local Financial Management Course
• The Africa Local Government Action Forum
• The Urban and City Management Course for
Africa
• The Pilot Anti-corruption Municipal Distance
Learning Course for Anglophone Africa
Challenges Faced in the use of
Videoconferencing
• Many local authorities have no appropriate technology
to enable them take part and geographical coverage
remains limited to major cities
• Inadequate and poor infrastructure has led to
disruption of sessions
• Mobilisation of participants difficult
• Time management is difficult
• Sustainability of centres after donors pull out is
questionable
2. The Digital Radio
• Has an advantage over videoconferencing
because it reaches more people, especially those
located far away from capital cities
• Pilot programme was launched in Malawi
Partnerships in Technology-Based Capacity
building Programmes
• Partnerships are very critical
• MDP has forged partnerships with
international, regional, national and local
partners
• ALGAF is delivered through partnerships
between the WBI, DLCs and National
Associations of local Authorities
MDP Partners
INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS
MUNICIPAL
DEVELOPMENT
PARTNERSHIP
REGIONAL
PARTNERS
-The World Bank Institute (WBI)
-The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
-The International Development and Research Centre (IDRC)
-The Resource Centre on Urban Agriculture and Forestry (RUAF)
-The Netherlands Government
-The Government of Canada
-The Institute of Social Studies in the Hague
-The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
-The Urban Management Programme (UMP)
- ESAMI
- SNV
- SAfAIDS
FOR EASTERN
& SOUTHERN
AFRICA
NATIONAL
PARTNERS
- Local Government Associations (ALGAK, MALGA, RALGA,
ALAN,ULAA, ALAT, SALGA)
- National Institutions (Uganda Management Institute; the Malawi
Institute of Management; Ethiopian Civil Service College)
- Universities
LOCAL
PARTNERS
- Resource Municipalities such as (Illala Municipal Council, Tanzania;
Nairobi, Kenya, Jinja, Uganda, Kwekwe, Zimbabwe).
- NGOs and CBOs
CITIZENS